The present application relates generally to the field of food product packaging. In one embodiment, the present application relates to a packaging system for wrapping various sized and shaped cuts of whole muscle meat in a plastic film.
Carcasses are commonly cut at a meat packing facility into cuts of various sizes and shapes and shipped to the retail location as what is commonly known as case-ready (e.g., store-ready, shelf-ready, etc.) meat. The cuts of meat may be wrapped in a polymer film (e.g. polypropylene film) that is fed to a packaging system. The film may then be folded around the cut of meat, sealed around the cut of meat, and shrunken. The time to shrink the film varies with the size of the cut of meat being wrapped.
Typically, a meat packing facility may have a packaging system that is configured to use a single size (e.g., width) of film. The film is generally sized to be capable or wrapping a larger cut of meat. If the cut of meat to be wrapped is smaller, a large amount of the film is wasted and a longer amount of time is required to shrink the film. Both the wasted material and the additional heat and time needed to shrink the film can add cost to the final product.
In addition, in existing food packaging systems, several machines are required to package a food product. Each machine provides a unique function such as, for example, wrapping, sealing, etc. Operating several machines and moving product between machines typically requires a large number of personnel and a large amount of floor space within a packaging facility. As a result, there is a need for a more compact system that requires fewer personnel to operate.